Lafayette College is a small private liberal arts school in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette is known for its strong academics, emphasis on study abroad, and a storied football rivalry with nearby Lehigh University. If you’re interested in a small school experience — Lafayette has 2,610 students — but don’t want to miss out on some seriously exciting games, Lafayette may be a perfect fit. The acceptance rate is about 28%  

Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. The university is home to a total of 15,400 students, 7,700 of whom are enrolled in undergraduate programs. The motto of WashU is Per Veritatem Vis, or “Strength through Truth.” This is a fitting motto for an institution where the search for truth through research isn’t just encouraged — it’s practically mandatory. WashU’s reputation for excellent research opportunities has made it a top choice for students pursuing the humanities and the sciences alike. WashU is also ranked in the top-10 schools in the country for entrepreneurs, financial resources, campus food, the administration, and their dorms. If you’re thinking of going pre-med, you’re in luck too. The pre-med program at WashU is highly respected nationally.

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts school in Richmond, Virginia. Nestled in the heart of the South, U of Richmond is a relatively small (around 3,500 undergrad), suburban campus. Business is among its most popular majors, along with general liberal arts and humanities. The school has an acceptance rate of 33%.

Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school boasts the most beautiful campus of 2019 as judged by Princeton Review — an authority on college academics, admissions, and, apparently, landscaping. Approximately 92% of the 3,600 undergraduate students take full advantage of this by choosing to live on campus as they pursue a mix of liberal arts and pre-professional programs. The acceptance rate is 34%.

Villanova is private Catholic school in Villanova, PA. Roughly 6,500 undergraduates attend the school. Villanova has a highly ranked nursing program and students are die-hard Villanova basketball fans. The acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 27.7%

Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas. Rice is a medium-sized school with 3,962 undergraduate students and is known for being academically and socially excellent. It is rated #2 in the nation for student quality of life and #14 for best universities in the nation by The Princeton Review.

The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is frequently referred to as a “public Ivy.” It might not be an official title, but it does say a lot. William and Mary is highly respected, provides an educational experience of an Ivy caliber, but with the benefit of being more accessible. If you live in Virginia, you even get the added benefit of in-state tuition. The 6,400 undergraduate student body is big enough to offer something for nearly anyone while small enough to provide a community that is known for being close-knit and supportive. William and Mary’s emphasis on undergraduate research is also a huge selling point.

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in Austin, Texas and one of the top public colleges in the United States.

Scripps College is an all-women’s liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It is a small school comprised of only 1048 undergraduate students. Scripps is one of the 5C’s — the consortium of colleges in Claremont that allow students to flow between them for many courses and some programs of study.  

Smith is a private, liberal arts women’s college in Massachusetts. It is the largest school of the Seven Sisters, and with an acceptance rate of approximately 32%, it is considered to be one of the top liberal arts schools in the nation. A politically active and socially conscious campus, Smith’s curriculum encourages students to participate in internships and experiential learning opportunities through various academic disciplines. And, oh yeah, it’s test optional for American citizens. 

Trinity College is a small liberal arts school in Hartford, Connecticut. One look at their supplement will tell you that the school is very proud of the fact that it is located in an urban setting. Just over 2,100 undergraduates attend, and 40% of those students participate in either varsity or club sports. The acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 33%.

Macalester College is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, also known as the Twin Cities area. The most popular majors at Macalester are economics, mathematics, and biology. Macalester emphasizes hands-on learning outside of the classroom. There are over 200 internship sites within eight miles of campus, and 76% of students take part in at least one internship while at Macalester. This doesn’t stop them from exploring further afield; 60% of Macalester students study abroad.

Boston College is a private Jesuit research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Its undergraduate student body of 9,500 is what we would classify as “mid-sized.” It’s definitely not a small school, but if you’re worried about floundering in a large university, there’s no reason to fear. You’re not going to drown in the flood of students moving between classes.

Tulane is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Just over 8,500 undergraduates attend the school and the average class size is 21 students. Tulane is hugely involved with the community in New Orleans, and service work is an academic requirement. Tulane’s acceptance rate has been dropping rapidly over the past few years. Last year, it was 13%.  

The University of Notre Dame is a private research university in Notre Dame, Indiana. It is one of the top 25 universities in the United States, and the undergraduate student body is comprised of approximately 8,600 students. Notre Dame is globally renowned for providing students with exceptional research opportunities. Off of campus, over 75% of students study abroad, and Notre Dame is ranked second in the country for producing prestigious Fulbright Scholars.

Pitzer is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Pitzer has an undergraduate student body of just 1060, but it is also part of the Claremont consortium of colleges. As students at one of five schools in the consortium, Pitzer’s small student body has access to a huge variety of classes across the colleges as well as additional dining halls and extracurriculars.

Syracuse is a private research university in Syracuse, New York. About 15,000 undergraduate students attend the school that is located on top of a hill overlooking the city. The acceptance rate is around 50%.

Johns Hopkins University is a research university in Baltimore, Maryland. The university is comprised of nine academic divisions and 5,292 undergraduate students. Johns Hopkins prioritizes diversity. The student body includes individuals from all 50 states and 51 countries. They also prioritize student engagement and on-campus innovation. There are 400 student organizations on campus, and Johns Hopkins spends the most money on research and development of any university in the United States.

Carnegie Mellon is a private research university in Pittsburgh, PA. The school has programs in the fields of arts, business, and humanities but is most known for computing, engineering, and science. In 2018, Carnegie Mellon put out a statement that said that demonstrated interested would no longer be considered. The acceptance rates are broken out by college/program on their website. With the exception of the College of Fine Arts, the acceptance rate for all other programs ranges from 5-14%.

Northwestern University is a private research university ‘headquartered’ Evanston, Illinois and with satellite campuses in Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. There are 21,000 students in total across the campuses and 8,600 undergraduate students. Northwestern is known as an academically excellent institution and one of a small group of highly coveted non-Ivy League schools with an overall acceptance rate in the single digits. However, Northwestern may be best known for the Performing Arts department. Seth Meyers is a graduate of the program, along with many other big Hollywood names.